She caressed his neck and opened her mouth to him, tangling her tongue with his in a kiss that was demanding, reckless, and exactly what he needed.

Their bodies collided with a hungry, frenzied fervor, and he knew he’d die if he didn’t have her. She pulled at the waistband of his trousers, and he slid them off in record time. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, licking and sucking while he caressed every inch of her body—the ripe mounds of her breasts, the soft indent of her waist, and the lush curve of her bottom. When he brought his palm up her thigh and felt the slick heat between her legs, she writhed beneath him.

“I want you, Reese,” she said, her beautiful blue eyes imploring.

He positioned himself at her entrance and held her face in his hands. “Tell me if you’re hurting,” he said. “Even a little.”

When she nodded and smiled, he eased himself inside her, an inch at a time. She felt impossibly tight and hot and perfect. When she began to move beneath him, he groaned. “You’re everything I’ve ever wanted, Soph. Everything.”

She looked up at him with such affection and trust that he thought his chest might explode. “I like this. You inside me, on top of me, around me. No matter how much I have of you, I always want more.” As if to prove her point, she clenched her inner muscles around him, and he nearly lost control.

“Hold on,” he said, thrusting harder. “But don’t hold back.”

She clung to his shoulders as he found a rhythm and angle she liked. Her eyes fluttered shut, her head fell back, and her lips parted, as they crashed into each other, perfectly, fiercely attuned.

Heat and pleasure shimmered through his veins like a drug, and his body begged for release—but he needed her to come first. So he moved a little faster, thrust a little harder, and reached between them to touch her. With a few strokes, she was whimpering, right on the edge.

“Yes, Sophie,” he said raggedly. “Come for me.”

She locked her gaze with his and cried out, her body pulsing all around him with wet heat. Somehow, he managed to wait out her climax, but sweat beaded on his forehead, and his muscles ached from the effort.

When she reached up and kissed him with utter abandon, he let himself spiral higher and higher. Everything inside him wanted Sophie—her essence, her goodness, her soul—and for that one moment, she was his.

Just as release barreled toward him, he pulled out, moaning and spending himself on the sheets.

For a full minute, they lay there, catching their breath and staring at each other with wonder.

And for the life of him, Reese couldn’t say whether they’d just made the best decision of their lives—or the worst.

Chapter 23